New England Patriots owner the Kraft Group signed a five-year contract with NWN to upgrade its IT infrastructure at Gillette Stadium and a new training facility that will be completed in 2026.
NWN, based in Exeter, Rhode Island, specializes in providing AI-based applications and services. The Kraft Group said it wants to use AI to boost the fan experience at the stadium, which is also home to the New England Revolution Major League Soccer club.
A key goal of the upgrade — which focuses on network connectivity, cloud-based collaboration and AI-based software — is getting the stadium ready for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, said Michael Israel, the Kraft Group’s CIO.
“As we prepare for [the World Cup] and then come off of that, we’ll be looking at what’s next for us in terms of rearchitecting our network,” Israel said. He added that the Kraft Group’s Wi-Fi systems are due for an upgrade soon, and it has potential plans to build a new stadium north of Boston for its soccer team.
“As we go through the architectural plans, it’s not just building a stadium, but how do I architecturally run two stadiums from one location and have our production control rooms [determine] what’s going on in the other stadium, so that we’re not duplicating efforts along the way,” he said.
As part of its research, the Kraft Group is considering an upgrade to Wi-Fi 7, in part to accommodate ever-increasing demands. Case in point: the 2023 Taylor Swift Eras Tour, which saw the existing network host some 62,000 unique visitors.
“As the technology changes, we have to reassess what’s the placement of wireless APs throughout the stadium, what’s the density, what has to be changed, is this the right solution for us,” Israel said. That also encompasses supporting 5G connectivity.
“With the amount of traffic you push, the amount of things that are going on, the needs only increase over time,” he said. “People are coming to the stadium to do more things from their mobile devices. We need to be able to grow with the changing needs of our stakeholders who are coming in.”
The Kraft Group Exploring AI Options
To that end, the wireless upgrade will multiply the opportunities fans now have to make purchases through their mobile phones. The Kraft Group is also exploring how facial recognition, for example, can be used to automate how vendors check fan IDs.
“If you’re not waiting in line 20 minutes for a hot dog and you can just walk up, get it and go, that’s going to change your perception of what it’s like to come to a stadium,” Israel said. Ticketing, meantime, will rely on virtual agents to sell consumers tickets to various events. This will let employees concentrate on “higher-level opportunities,” Israel said.
In addition to boosting customer experience, AI will underpin player communications, allowing team members to track meeting times and modify their training schedules according to coaching feedback. AI will also be used to send playbooks to team members’ devices. The new training facility’s IT infrastructure will all be powered by AI. Gillette Stadium will also get an overhaul of its voice over IP system.
“We are getting hit with different AI potential use cases on a daily basis, but which ones have stickiness to them?” Israel said. “Which ones can actually help change the way our fans are engaging with us, or how our employees are engaging with us? That’s what will help shape the Kraft Group’s IT purchasing decisions going forward.”
NWN CEO and President Jim Sullivan told Network Computing that the project will link together existing systems supporting how fans interact with the team and the stadium.
“It’s really going to go across multiple domains, from the network, from the applications, from the infrastructure, the right security systems, tying to wherever a fan may be to have a really outstanding experience,” Sullivan said.
As chatbots evolve into intelligent virtual agents, the Kraft Group will also use AI to power a real-time knowledge database tailored to address fans’ concerns, Sullivan said. The new technology enables the group to improve fan experience at a more cost-effective price point, he said.
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